Overachiever Chris Billam-Smith Promises "Explosive" Fight Against Cheavon Clarke

Cruiserweight Chris Billam-Smith (22-2) is one of those fighter who doesn't do anything exceptionally well, but manages to scrap his way to victory. But while his skills and power are moderate, his will to win and his conditioning are truly special.

This grit and the absence of anything flashy about him have turned him into something of a hero in his hometown of Bournemouth. His looks have played a part too. It's easy to imagine him as a brave "Tommy" in the trenches of WW1.

His fans would walk on hot coals for him. They'll be coming up in droves from the south coast, to London's Copper Box Arena.  Despite its sizeable capacity of 7,500, the hardcore boxing fans it attracts give it the atmosphere of one of the great small halls. But several times louder.

Chris is normally one of the nicer guys in boxing, but he has been showing a bit of needle towards Cheavon Clarke (12-2), his opponent this Saturday. They've been on a collison course for some time now and performed on the same card in their most recent contests in June.

Both fights were thrillers, with Billam-Smith surviving an exhausting battle with the dangerous Ryan Rozicki, and Clarke climbing off the canvas twice to knock out Jack Massey.

Clarke raced through the professional ranks, seizing the British title in only his 9th fight. But his momentum was halted by a couple of points losses, to Leonardo Mosquea and Viddal Riley.

Billam-Smith is a former world champion and beat some great names along the way, including Richard Riakporhe and Lawrence Okolie, who are both making an impact at heavyweight now. He lost his WBO title to Gilberto Ramirez in 2024. Ramirez went on to lose the belt to American superstar, David Benavidez, who appears to be on another level entirely.

But despite losing his champion's status, Zuffa's Dana White was anxious to lure him into his stable with a highly lucrative contract. In White's quest to take over boxing, he took aim at the UK, where many of the best fights of recent years have taken place.

He wasn't too intent on signing belt holders, he wanted ticket sellers, the men who could be guaranteed to put on great shows under the Zuffa Banner. Billam-Smith and heavyweight, Johnny Fisher were the natural choices.

You might think that Clarke, from Gravesend near London, will enjoy home support. But I suspect enough fans of Billam-Smith will make the trip to take away that advantage. The Bournemouth man has promised a knockout, but Clarke will be drawing confidence from the two amateur wins he has over Chris.

But this will probably come down to experience in the professional game, and in that department, Billam-Smith has a massive advantage.